Railways, passengers carried in South Asia

South Asia: Railways, passengers carried was 576,540 million passenger-km in 2016. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2016)
576,540 million passenger-km
Change on year
up 6,518.5%
Rank
1st
of 25 groups
All-time high
576,540 million passenger-km
in 2016
All-time low
3,678 million passenger-km
in 1999
Years of data
21
1995–2016

Railways, passengers carried in South Asia, 1995–2016

0200.0k400.0k600.0k1995200520161995: 4.0k million passenger-km1996: 3.8k million passenger-km1997: 3.8k million passenger-km1998: 3.9k million passenger-km1999: 3.7k million passenger-km2000: 3.9k million passenger-km2001: 4.2k million passenger-km2002: 4.1k million passenger-km2003: 4.3k million passenger-km2004: 4.7k million passenger-km2005: 4.4k million passenger-km2007: 4.8k million passenger-km2008: 387.8k million passenger-km2009: 422.4k million passenger-km2010: 455.4k million passenger-km2011: 8.1k million passenger-km2012: 8.8k million passenger-km2013: 8.3k million passenger-km2014: 574.3k million passenger-km2015: 8.7k million passenger-km2016: 576.5k million passenger-km

Source: Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC). Measured in million passenger-km.

Analysis

In 2016, railways, passengers carried in South Asia stood at 576,540 million passenger-km. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 6,518.5% on the previous year and up 13,130.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, railways, passengers carried in South Asia peaked at 576,540 million passenger-km in 2016 and was at its lowest, 3,678 million passenger-km, in 1999.

South Asia ranks 1st of 25 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Railways, passengers carried in South Asia, year by year

Annual values for Railways, passengers carried (million passenger-km) in South Asia, 1995 to 2016.
Year million passenger-km Change
1995 4,037 million passenger-km
1996 3,754 million passenger-km -7.0%
1997 3,754 million passenger-km -0.0%
1998 3,856 million passenger-km +2.7%
1999 3,678 million passenger-km -4.6%
2000 3,941 million passenger-km +7.1%
2001 4,209 million passenger-km +6.8%
2002 4,079 million passenger-km -3.1%
2003 4,258 million passenger-km +4.4%
2004 4,682 million passenger-km +10.0%
2005 4,358 million passenger-km -6.9%
2007 4,767 million passenger-km +9.4%
2008 387,782 million passenger-km +8034.7%
2009 422,416 million passenger-km +8.9%
2010 455,384 million passenger-km +7.8%
2011 8,052 million passenger-km -98.2%
2012 8,787 million passenger-km +9.1%
2013 8,253 million passenger-km -6.1%
2014 574,274 million passenger-km +6858.4%
2015 8,711 million passenger-km -98.5%
2016 576,540 million passenger-km +6518.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3,816 million passenger-km 3,678 million passenger-km 4,037 million passenger-km 5
2000s 93,388 million passenger-km 3,941 million passenger-km 422,416 million passenger-km 9
2010s 234,286 million passenger-km 8,052 million passenger-km 576,540 million passenger-km 7

Countries ranked near South Asia

  1. 1 China 946,499 million passenger-km compare
  2. 2 Japan 263,211 million passenger-km compare
  3. 3 India 231,126 million passenger-km compare
  4. 4 Russian Federation 103,447 million passenger-km compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More infrastructure data for South Asia

All data for South Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is railways, passengers carried in South Asia?
Railways, passengers carried in South Asia was 576,540 million passenger-km in 2016, according to Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC).
What is the highest railways, passengers carried recorded in South Asia?
The highest recorded value was 576,540 million passenger-km in 2016.
What is the lowest railways, passengers carried recorded in South Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 3,678 million passenger-km in 1999.
How does South Asia rank for railways, passengers carried?
South Asia ranks 1st out of 25 groups with data for 2016.
Is railways, passengers carried rising or falling in South Asia?
Over the last ten years it is up 13,130.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Asia data come from?
The figures come from Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC), published as part of Railways, passengers carried (million passenger-km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Railways, passengers carried in South Asia. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/railways-passengers-carried-million-passenger-km/south-asia/

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About this data

Indicator
Railways, passengers carried (million passenger-km)
Unit
million passenger-km
Source
Railisa Database (UIC), International Union of Railways (UIC)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
128 places, 2,650 data points, 1995–2021
Last refreshed

Passengers carried by railway are the number of passengers transported by rail multiplied by kilometers traveled.